Ashley Stevens

Background

About Ashley Stevens

Ashley Stevens is a seasoned program manager and military family advocate with over 15 years of experience designing, executing, and expanding national initiatives that serve military-connected communities. Currently serving as the Senior Manager of Family Impact Programs at Blue Star Families, Ashley leads the Blue Star Connect Outdoors program—a groundbreaking initiative that brings military families together in nature to build resilience, community, and joy. Under her leadership, the program now reaches more than 800 families annually through over 120 large-scale outdoor events across the country. As both a military child and a military spouse, Ashley brings a deeply personal understanding of the military lifestyle. Growing up, she traveled the world, and through every duty station, the outdoors became a consistent source of connection, comfort, and belonging. Her passion for service is rooted in lived experience and a lifelong commitment to enhancing the military journey through creative programming, strategic outreach, and community engagement. Years spent performing outdoors in the marching arts taught her the value of discipline, joy, and shared purpose in the elements—lessons that now fuel her dedication to creating meaningful, nature-based experiences for today’s military families. Ashley led the Blue Star Connect Outdoors program from concept to execution, overseeing every phase of development including program design, branding, storytelling, strategic marketing, and public engagement. She manages customer service, innovation strategy, and budget oversight for the program, while also directing human resources functions such as recruiting, onboarding, and managing a diverse team of outdoor leaders. Her holistic leadership approach ensures not only operational excellence, but also cultural relevance, emotional impact, and long-term sustainability for the communities she serves.